


Axel!!!!

by glam_bake



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Gen, Post-Canon, creative license: ball pythons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-09-06 15:20:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8758222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glam_bake/pseuds/glam_bake
Summary: The year is 2020-something. Teenaged social media darling Axel Nishigori banks on a childhood promise and moves in with two globetrotting uncles and three floofy dogs.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time publishing fic and I think it turned out pretty well. Anyone who plans a televised, big-name skate-off with their sisters at the age of 6 is going places in life, and I wanted to write about it.

There are streets, in Paris like everywhere, where the stone buildings end and the 70’s concrete bullshit begins. Pass the dingy falafel shops, the not-nationally-known computer stores, the boulangeries with cheesy paneling just falling off all over, and the alarmingly painted lycees with narrow concrete yards.  
The girl walked into the sunlight for the first time in what felt like a million years and smiled at the cold morning air, the violent puce of the school building, the glinting of the canal showing in the spaces between crooked buildings.  
She passed the Air France poster as she left the Metro, the one with a lady with a fake looking beehive hairdo holding a tiny plane. She’d seen that poster at every plane and train station since Tokyo. She gave Plane Lady the finger as she lugged her bags past - begone, foul spirit of stale air, crowds, lines for miles and sweaty old men checking passports at every border. She felt magic in her aching eyes and sagging shoulders. Her tiredness was mixed with the pride she felt at making it to Paris perfectly on her own accord, and the power of being one of the few folks on the street in the moments before sunrise. Where was the apartment? She was almost there…  
It was a skinny building with some sort of shiny blue paneling and a heavy gate to the courtyard. She followed a mail guy in, after babbling some English excuse that she was sure he didn’t understand. She stood outside 3b. It was 6 in the morning. She rang the doorbell, and the three dogs inside started barking like crazy. She pet the alarmed snake that was slung around her shoulders, “Don’t worry about ‘em, Tsurugi. They’re docile AF.”  
This was going to be fantastic.

 

Yuri just wanted to reheat some soup and make the tea and coffee, goddamnit. Whoever was riling up the dogs at this hour had better be doing it for a good reason. He took his time filling the electric kettle and grinding coffee beans as Junior, Plushenko, and Enoki went crazy.  
“I’m getting it, I’m getting it, you goofs”, he mumbled. He considered whether he needed to put on anything other than his t shirt and boxers before getting the door: nah, fuck it. He crossed the living room, undid the deadbolt and opened the door.  
On the other side was a pigtailed teenaged girl with:  
A bigass ball python around her shoulders  
Altogether too much luggage  
A shit-eating grin that was very, very familiar  
Axel waited patiently for Yuri to say her name incredulously, or welcome her in, or something, but he just sort of stood there, mouth agape. A moment passed. This was a bit awkward. She wished he’d put on some pants.  
“Yuri! Good to see you!” she attempted.  
He took his glasses off, rubbed them on his shirt, and put them back on. Ok. She was really in front of him. This was happening.  
“Axel, I hope you'll forgive me for being a bit alarmed. Why don't you come in and have some breakfast.”

 

“Victor. Put on a shirt, we have company.”  
“Wha? Who?”  
“You’ll see, just get dressed, OK?”  
Yuri led her through the living room to the small yellow-tiled kitchen. Axel listened to them from her seat at the kitchen table. She leaned back to grab an empty coffee cup from the washboard, set it in front of her, and tapped on the table impatiently. She’d kill for good coffee right now. Yuri and Victor were always good about that, actually; thank god Celestino Cialdini took him back for a few late-career seasons in the late 2010’s. In her opinion, the world of skating didn’t really need those final contributions from Yuri Katsuki, but it sure needed indulgent not-quite-uncles who’d lived in Italy and knew what kind of coffee made the world bearable. And had floofy dogs. Floofy dogs were important.  
“Hey Boyyyyy”, she singsonged to Yuri Junior, who had made some kind of peace with the presence of her and Tsurugi in the house and had laid down on the living room rug. “It’s me, Axel! Remember? This is Tsurugi, I got her last year.” Junior flicked his ears and glanced at her for a moment, gave Tsurugi the side eye, and turned away with a whine.  
“Sheesh Junior. Rude. Give her a chance!”

 

“Axel! What a pleasant surprise!” Victor was leaning in the doorframe, a pose which he undoubtedly thought made him look cool and not pushing forty at all. “Did you just fly in this morning?”  
“Yeah, and also last night, last evening, and last afternoon.”  
“Do I understand or do I understand!”  
“Yeah, try making that trip with eight years worth of junk and three dogs”, Yuri added as he came back into the kitchen and started fiddling with the french press. It had been less than a year since he and Victor had come to Paris.  
Victor pulled up a chair at the table. “Let’s get right to it. To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?” Axel wondered if he meant to be theatrical, or if his wording was just a Japanese-as-a-third-language thing.  
“I’m finished with high school. I came here so you could coach me.”  
Victor blanched for a split second, then turned to Yuri. “Darling, did I make any promises to her about this?”  
“Probably.”  
“Yes, you did,” Axel said. Victor put on his remembering face.  
“Why don’t we check in the book just to be sure.” Yuri said. He darted off down the hall and reemerged a moment later with a spiral notebook.  
“You don’t need to check!”  
Yuri handed the notebook to Victor, who started paging through it. “Victor’s promises to youth” was Sharpied on the cover.  
“I can just tell you now. About four years ago, Loop, Lutz and I were visiting you in Tokyo over summer vacation. I asked if you would coach me when I graduated high school, and you said yes.”  
“I have your name in here, but it says I’ll only coach you on the condition you can, uh, reproduce Kenjirou Minami’s free program from Skate Canada ‘21.”  
“ I didn’t forget that. Yuri made you add that clause ‘cause those were the conditions you had already set for a different kid who wanted you to coach them.”  
“That was Masako,” Yuri said, reading over Victor’s shoulder. “Her entry is here, right above yours.”  
“And here I am. I’m ready to move in, and I can show you the routine today if you want.”  
“I’m guessing you bought a one-way ticket here?” Yuri said.  
“Ain’t no getting rid of this girl.” Axel said, with two thumbs for emphasis. Yuri and Victor exchanged a glance that was dripping with resignation.  
“The test can wait until tomorrow then.” Yuri said. “You’ll need to recoup some strength after that flight. Let’s get you some breakfast.”  
“Can you make me a plate too dear? I can get the guest room ready.” Victor turned back to Axel, his demeanor lifting. “This was an excellent surprise.”

 

Axel was busy dumping the contents of her suitcase into a drawer when Yuri did the cursory knock on the doorframe.  
“So, we’re off to the rink for the day. Get some sleep, alright? We’ll be back at eightish. Help yourself to whatever’s in the fridge.”  
“Thanks Yuri! Have a good day!” She was relieved to hear the front door shutting behind them. Finally she was alone, with a dark room to pass out in. She put Tsurugi into her cat carrier and refilled her hot water bottle. “Stay warm baby, I’ll get you a terrarium soon.” She took a shower, checked that there was a closed door between the ball python and the dogs, and slept for twelve hours.

 

Yuri and Victor walked the two blocks to the Westbound 5 in a mild haze of befuddlement. Victor pulled out his phone: “Listen, sorry to bother you, Stéphan, but I have a family thing going on and it would really help me if we moved your lesson to the rink this morning. Is that Ok? Yeah? Excellent. See you in 20.” Victor hung up and tossed his phone in his bag. He turned to Yuri. "Let's talk. I'm ready to coach her, but what do you think?"  
Yuri seemed to focus momentarily on something invisible about a yard ahead of where they were walking. After a second his face softened a bit.  
"I love Axel to death, but... You have a contract with Stéphan."  
"I promised though."  
"A contract is a promise too. And I hate to bring it up, but Stéphan plans on paying for your time. Yuko and Takeshi don't make bad money, but I have a suspicion that Axel hasn't involved them in this decision at all."  
"Probably not." He paused. "But I don't think I can say no to that little headache. She's a girl after my own heart. I have that ad deal coming up; things will work out."  
"In the short term, at least..." Yuri sighed. "We'll see if she can pass your test."  
"You think she will?"  
"... Definitely."


End file.
